Make a garden salad as an addition to your next meal - it pairs well with just about anything! Crisp romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, carrots, and cheese are topped with a tangy homemade vinaigrette dressing.
A classic garden salad is a simple way to add nutritious veggies to your next meal. It's great any time of year and is easy to customize with your favorite seasonal produce.
Any leafy greens can serve as the base for your salad. Add your favorite veggies, like tomato, carrot, cucumber, and onion, then top with a simple homemade vinaigrette (or your favorite dressing!).
Add a garden salad to your next meal to help stretch your main course further. You could also add your favorite protein, like grilled lemon pepper chicken or panko crusted salmon to turn a garden salad into a complete meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Lettuce - Feel free to use your favorite leafy greens to make a garden salad. I used two romaine hearts.
- Toppings - Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, red onion, and cheddar cheese are my toppings of choice. The great part about a garden salad is that it's easy to add your own veggies (garden grown or not) that you have on hand. Croutons are another great addition that adds crunch and flavor.
- Oil - Extra virgin olive oil serves as the base of your dressing.
- Vinegar - I used red wine vinegar for my dressing, but apple cider vinegar works great as well.
- Dijon mustard - Adds flavor and works as an emulsifier, which makes your dressing creamy and cohesive.
- Seasoning - Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper add flavor to the dressing. Italian seasoning could be substituted with a combination of your favorite Italian herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano.
Tips and tricks
- Use a whisk - Whisk together your dressing ingredients to allow the mustard to emulsify. This creates a creamy, smooth dressing.
- Add your favorite veggies - There are no hard rules when it comes to making a garden salad. If you don't like an ingredient on the list, replace it with an ingredient you'll enjoy more. Add your favorite garden veggies, like bell peppers, radishes, mushrooms, and spinach.
- Chop vegetables evenly - Chop your veggies into small, bite size pieces. Think about a size that fits easily on a fork.
- Dress just before serving - If you're making your garden salad ahead of time, keep the dressing separate until just before serving. This ensures the lettuce doesn't wilt and maintains its crisp, crunchy texture.
Frequently asked questions
A garden salad starts with a base of leafy greens like romaine or iceberg lettuce. The name garden salad implies that the toppings are vegetables grown in a garden, most commonly tomatoes and cucumbers. Garden salads can also include other toppings like onion, cheese, croutons, and any dressing of your choosing.
If you'd like to make your garden salad ahead of a dinner or event, I recommend preparing the salad ingredients and dressing separately and storing in the refrigerator. Dressing can be served on the side or tossed into the salad just before serving.
Dressed salad will keep for only a few hours before the lettuce begins to wilt. The salad base will keep for about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator when stored separately. Your homemade vinaigrette will keep for a month or more in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Garden Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 large romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small cucumber, sliced into half moons
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 small red onion, thin sliced
- 4 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, onion, and cheese, tossing to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- To make ahead, store salad base and dressing separately in the refrigerator until just before serving.
- Feel free to add your favorite garden vegetables like bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, or radishes to your salad to suit your tastes.
- Leftover dressing will keep for up to a month in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
- Dressed salad will begin to wilt within a few hours and does not keep well.
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